Through the Mirror
by Jennarei
Summary: A stone statue of two dragons stood before them, their tails intertwined and wings outstretched as they both looked towards the heavens. A symbol of unity, power and hope for a nation long gone. Turning he smiled, knowing it to be a gruesome sight, what with most of the skin along his jaw thinned or gone. Still he couldn't help himself. She would fix it. She would save them all.
1. Chapter 1

**So I had an idea...that turned into this XD I'm kinda part of the Fall Play this year at my school (Alyx's Wonderland) which most likely is the inspiration behind this story. I hope you like it! ENJOY!**

"To imagine is everything, to know is nothing at all."  
-Anatole France

He had done it! He had successfully broken through the seal! Oh, Master would be so pleased!

Unless...he couldn't get back.

But if he couldn't open the door again, (although the last time he more like broke through it) then surely _she_ could. It was just a matter of finding her.

"Alright, I'll just blend in with the crowd until I see her. Easy enough, right? What do you think?" the man asked his falcon, turning to look at the frazzled bird resting on his shoulder. The falcon only twitched, staring at him with one beady eye. He took that as a sign of encouragement and began to crawl out of the bushes, ignoring the erratic clanking in his chest. It had been happening for quite some time. About 5 years, if he wasn't mistaken. Or was it more? Oh, he couldn't remember. Or could he?

He froze as his face twitched, pressing a hand to his jaw and waiting for the sparks to die down. He was in desperate need of repair, but he couldn't bare to return to master without her. Master would have been devestated. What good would he be if he couldn't even fufill his purpose? No, he was going to find her, bring her back, and then get repaired.

So where was she?

He finally reached one of the main paths in what he guessed was a garden. Hedges with various flowers of all different shapes and colors lined the path. Stone statues adorned glittering fountains in the background as sculpted trees provided romantic shadows for stone benches. These gardens were lush and filled with life. The ones he knew were sickly. Dying. Even the East Forest was withering. Even the moon here seemed vibrant and pure! Oh, everything was beautiful...he wished to stay forever. There wasn't much beauty left back home...or happiness. But she was supposed to change all that, to restore beauty and laughter in his homeland. That's why he needed to find her.

Where was she again?

Oh yeah! He was looking for her! He looked around. Where would she be? Ah! There! Lights, music, voices! Weren't those the sure fire signs of a party? And parties meant people. Surely she would be where the people were! Wouldn't she? Or would she? Would she rather stay alone? Oh, he didn't remember! He stood, blinking in the middle of the path. His falcon shifted his feet, waiting patiently for his owner's mind to clear. This had been a bad reoccuring habit lately. Sure enough, he began to walk again, following the general direction of the party. He passed several well dressed guests touring the gardens, blissfully oblivious to their strange looks or concerned whispers. Why would he care about them? He was only interested in one person...

He walked aimlessly through the paths for what seemed like hours, catching bits and pieces of information from random passerby. After a short while, he gathered that he was currently walking around in the gardens of some President Nakamoto, who was hosting a gala in honor of some very important people. That was all fine and dandy, but none of it gave him any clue to where _she_ was. His patience was wearing thin. The emotionally drained man slumped down on a bench, resting his head in his hands. Oh, he was a failure! He had been searching for this woman for years and traveled so far, and he _still_ couldn't find her! Perhaps he should just return home...if he could even break the seal again.

"Oh, you'll be there with me huh?!"

He straightened with a jolt. That voice.

"'Oh, don't worry, I'll be by your side the entire night!' Liar!"

It was _her_! He whipped around just in time to see a furious looking, raven haired woman stomping up the path.

"Leaving me all alone in there, surrounding yourself with celebrities!" she barreled right past him, not even acknowledging his presence. "Screw you Jay!"

He certainly had no idea who Jay was, but she was most definitely _her_. He had found her at last! Master would be so pleased! He eagerly turned to his falcon.

"Do you know what this means?" his falcon cocked his head, waiting for the inevitable answer. "Repairs! Oh, and maybe some treats!" he excitedly bounced on his toes and took off after the woman. He was going to bring her back to master and be rewarded! He quickly caught up to the woman, almost tripping up on her flowing red dress.

"Hello!" He poked her shoulder, prompting her to turn around. Her dark eyes widened, most likely shocked by his wore down appearance. It wouldn't be the first time.

"Z-zane?" she gasped. "What happened to you?!" a concerned hand flitted to his face, to small patches where he had lost his skin long ago. He blinked in confusion. Zane? Who was Zane? No matter, it wasn't important. He let a smile grow on his face.

"Master has been searching for you for ages!" he laughed, grabbing her hand. "He will be pleased to see you have returned! Come on, follow me and we'll go home!"

"Wait, who's "Master"? And what do you mean go home? Zane, what is going on?!" She tried to pry her hand from his, but his grip was too strong. He wasn't about to let her escape. She already did once and that was absolutely disastrous. "The party's still going on! What'll the be point of the Grand Ninja Gala if all of the Ninja aren't there!"

He stopped. "Ninja? What's a Ninja?" he blinked at her, genuinely confused. She gasped, suddenly pressing her hand to his forehead.

"Oh my god, did someone hurt you?"

"What? Well yes, but I am perfectly-"

"How could they?! Come on, lets get you to Jay as fast as possible!" she tsk'd, trying to drag him the way she had come. He shook his head. What was she talking about? Did she not realize the urgency of their situation? Surely she wasn't always this dense!

"No!" he tugged her back towards him, growing frustrated. "We have to get you back to Master! The entire East Kingdom will fall if you don't!" He began to stomp back to the door, ignoring her confused protests and adamant orders to "return to the others now before he got hurt even more". Honestly, he wasn't dying! He was perfectly sane and intact, just a little scuffed up.

"Please!" she hissed, looking a little concerned. "If we miss the speech it will make us look bad! Plus, you're kinda hurting me..." she wriggled her wrist in his grasp and tried to pry his fingers off unsuccessfully. He honestly felt a bit guilty of causing her any sort of pain, but if she was going to run off and get this supposed "Jay" instead of following him, it was necessary.

After a while more of walking through endless garden paths, they arrived at the marker. A stone statue of two dragons, their tails intertwined and wings outstretched as they both looked towards the heavens. A symbol of unity, power and hope for a nation long gone. The sight almost saddened him, reminding him that he never knew that light and happy nation. The one full of smiles and laughs. He lightly brushed his fingers along the edge of one of the dragons, wishing for the thousandth time that he had known his home then. That he had experienced the joy of his friends and witnessed the beauty that his Master missed so.

"Zane?" her whisper snapped him out of his thoughts and he sighed softly. Turning to her he smiled, knowing it to be a gruesome sight, what with most of the skin along his jaw thinned or gone. Still he couldn't help himself. She would make it all better, she would bring the smiles and happiness and unity to the land that desperately needed it.

"Here," he said, taking her other hand and leading her around the statue. Ignoring her concerned stare, he easily passed through the hedge, instantly feeling the change in the air. This was the barrier to the bridge. Only those with the power to open the door to the bridge were allowed to pass through. He was now completely on the other side, only his hands were left in the actual gardens. He could hear her call that ridiculous 'Zane' name to him uncertainly. Taking a deep breath, he tightened his grip on her hands and pulled.

"Ah!" she squeaked as she burst through the hedge and stumbled on her feet. He almost squealed, but restrained himself to a large grin. It was really her! She was able to pass through the barrier! "Zane, tell me what's going on right now!"

"I'm taking you home, Ayn."

**FIRST CHAPTER DONE! God, you have no idea how many times I rewrote this T.T I think I tried 3 different angles? And I just decided this was the best. Oh well XD Please tell me what you think!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hi! Sorry for the wait, I was just really indecisive about this chapter too XD hope it's not too bad! **

Nya was a very confused young woman. One moment, she was storming away from a fight with Jay and the next, she was being dragged through the gardens by a beaten up Zane who kept rambling on about some Master or another. She was extremely weirded out, especially when he denied being himself!

What had happened to him? Several patches of skin on his face body were gone, or scratched away. His falcon was missing feathers and had a twitchy, frazzled look about him instead of his usual elegance. Zane's suit was gone and in it's place, a torn and dirtied white t-shirt and pants. He looked like he had been through Hell.

She had tried in vain to get him to come to his senses, but he would not give up! He just kept dragging her to his 'Master', whoever that was. He was starting to scare her, with his iron grip and apparent amnesia. Especially when he spaced out looking at the statue of the dragons. All she wanted was to get him to Jay and get him fixed. Even if Jay was being a total jerk...

Then he walked through the hedge.

"Zane?"

In a flash, she was yanked through the green hedge, prompting a very undignified squeak to break through her tightly pressed lips. She was surprised to find that she hardly felt anything as she passed through. No branches smacked her face or stabbed into her skin. The only thing she felt was the light brushing of leaves against her cheeks. Then her flight was over and her feet tripped over themselves as she struggled to stand up. An iron grip on her hands helped her find her footing in the soft ground. This was starting to get out of hand! Dragging her through the gardens was one thing, but pulling her a _hedge_? Was he crazy?! Zane was just standing there, grinning like an idiot. The pure elation in his eyes frightened her a bit. When she opened her mouth, she managed to leave her concern out of her voice.

"Zane, tell me what's going on right now!" she tried to free her hands again, but he didn't let go. Instead he lifted her hands to his chest and smiled excitedly.

"I'm taking you home, Ayn."

What? Who was Ayn?

"Here, just-" he turned away from her, releasing one of her hands to take a few steps forward in the small grassy space. There were three stone walls and the hedge the way they came. Nya could only watch in confusion and growing concern as he delicately placed his hand on the wall opposite the hedge. The expression on his worn face was almost too excited. "Just open the door."

"What?"

"The door." he seemed to grow a little frustrated. "Just put your hand, on the door."

"Zane..." the samurai proceeded with caution, feeling fear creep up her spine. He was frightning her. What if he really was broken? He obviously didn't remember who she was...what if he hurt her?

"Listen, there isn't much time!" he hissed, once again grabbing her wrist. "Only you can open the door!"

"Zane-!"

He yanked her hand forward and pressed it against the stone. The wall was rough to the touch, the ridges and dips digging into her skin when Zane pressed down on her hand. She stared at him as he held his breath, eyes widening.

"Why isn't it...?" he loosened his grip on her hand and looked confusedly at the wall. Was something supposed to happen?

"Umm...Zane?"

"It was supposed to-"

The wall shifted under her touch. What in the name of-?

"Hah! It's opening!" Zane cheered, grinning morbidly again. Nya could only shiver as the stone became almost liquid, rising and falling against her skin. The smooth stone rippled outward, sending strange circles all along the wall. Zane jumped excitedly on his toes, whispering something about being "comepletely right from the start". The stone suddenly stilled, the ripples becoming fewer and farther in between, the wall was now comepletely flat and cold.

Nya was staring at herself. The entire wall was a giant mirror.

"Hah! Master will be so pleased!"

"What...?"

"Beautifully done, Ayn! We'll be back home in no time!" He laughed and grabbed her hand again, taking a step towards the wall turned mirror.

"Wait a minute!" she yanked him back, her patience finally reaching it's end. Things were getting too freaky, too fast! "You are telling me, right now, who is Ayn, and what just happened to the wall!"

Zane paused, his smile fading the slightest bit. She fisted her hands, hoping to the gods above she wasn't visibly showing just how frightened she really was.

"You are Ayn." he said slowly, as if speaking to a child. "You opened the door." he smiled again, exposing his metal jaw and circuitry in all its glory. "Now let's go home." He pulled her foward again and she tried to dig her heels in. She was not about to be abducted by a renegade Zane!

"No! I am not going with you!" she growled, beating on him with her free hand. He didn't even seem to register them as he just kept marching towards the mirror. How was she supposed to break out of this?! The only moves she knew wouldn't work against his metal skeleton. She would probably do more harm to herself than to Zane. But this would be over soon, he couldn't possibly walk through a mirror, right?

"Of course you are." he laughed, placing a hand on the mirror. He grinned into his reflection, eyes directed at her. His ever-estatic gaze was inhuman. The cold, grey iris' sent shivers down her spine.

"I-"

"It's not like you have a choice." he chuckled. His hand sunk into the mirror, the cold glass swallowing his skin like a jelly. The rest of his body followed, easily passing through the mirror. Nya struggled, wriggled, yanked, pulled, and clawed desperately, fear escaping her lips in the form of terrified grunts and short gasps. She had seen some strange things in her short lifetime, but not one - not a single one - terrified her more than dissapearing through some strange mirror. What if no one found her?

The glass of the mirror was up to his other shoulder.

_What if she never came back?_

His elbow.

_What if she was going someplace horrible?_

The glass hit her hand, and she shuddered at the ice cold feeling, the strangely jelly-like mirror swallowing her skin.

_What if she could never see her family again?_

Her shoulder.

_What if she _died_?_

The glass hit her face, and the dark gardens suddenly became black.

**So how did you guys like this chapter? I promise, answers and awesome-ness are coming the next chapter! XD Please review!**


	3. Chapter 3

**I'm back! I'm so sorry for the long update, but I started school (I'm officially a sophmore :D) And AP classes have been assigning homework like crazy!**

**ENJOY!**

_"Come on, you can't possibly be nervous!"_

_Nya almost hit him right then and there._

_"Of course I'm nervous! I've never been to such an important event and...and..." she looked down, ashamed of herself. It really was unlike her to get fazed by a party, of all things. But she couldn't help it. After the entire "being evil" thing during the final battle, she didn't exactly feel like herself. She felt as if all eyes were on her, judging her. Hating her._

_"Hey, don't worry..." he murmered, finally picking up on her discomfort. Jay leaned in, planting a gentle kiss to her temple. "I'll be there with you. I'll be by your side the entire night." He smiled boyishly, calming her. If Jay was with her, it certainly couldn't be that bad._

Something grabbed her wrist.

_"Jay?" she tried searching for his chestnut and electric blue eyes in the sea of faces. No such luck. Everywhere she turned, there were celebrities, athletes, politicians, A-listers of every kind, but no Jay. How had she even gotten separated? He was next to her just a moment ago! She delicately grabbed her long, red skirt in both hands, trying to avoid it getting stepped on by the party goers all around her. "Jay?"_

_"Excuse me, aren't you Nya?" someone tapped on her shoulder. She turned to find a handsome young man with deep brown eyes and golden hair._

_"Um...yes."_

_"Perfect!" he smiled widely and bowed slightly. "I'm Jason, from the Ninjago Post. Mind if I asked you a few questions?"_

It was pulling her.

_"Um, sure!" she answered, feeling the slightest bit of fear creep up her spine._

_"Great!" he pulled a small note-pad from his blazer, clicking the small pen it came with and licking his lips. "Now, how's it like living with the ninja?"_

_"A bit hectic to be honest." she laughed, feeling her fear subside. He didn't seem all too bad. Now if she could only find Jay... she kept answering his harmless questions for a bit, growing more and more impatient with every second. People were beginning to stare._

_"What was it like being evil?"_

_"What?" her heart stopped._

_"I mean, what was it like, shooting at your friends?"_

_"I don't-" panic rose in her chest, threatening to choke her._

_"Do you still have a bit of evil inside you?"_

"Ah!" she gasped, the cold sensation of the mirror giving way to a damp heat. Nya doubled over, gasping for breath, feeling as if she had just held it for hours.

"Tsk," Zane said, leaning over her, bending low enough so that she could see his face, "You completely forgot about the Doorways, haven't you?"

She slowly straightened, trying to calm herself enough to answer steadily. The mirror had actually led somewhere, it seemed. She stood in a small clearing. Dark, barren woods surrounded her. A low fog swirled around her feet and a grey sky above her threatened rain. Where was she?

"Welcome home, Ayn!" he cheered, stretching for whatever reason. The falcon on his shoulder suddenly took off, disappearing high into the grey sky.

"For the last time," she groaned, "I'm not Ayn!"

"But of course you are-"

"I don't wanna hear it!" she held up a hand, turning towards the mirror again. This was getting too weird and annoying. She just wanted to get back to the party and her world! Not this strange place...

"But...you have to be." he whispered. Nya ignored him. It was obvious Zane was out of his mind. Maybe she could just shove him back into the mirror... she placed her palm on the glass surface, waiting for it to slip through like Zane's did earlier.

Nothing.

She pushed, pressing harder. The glass didn't budge.

"You can't open the door again so soon." he whispered, lightly grabbing her wrist. She looked up at his reflection, seeing a strange expression on his face. He was almost...pained.

"Fine. Then I'll wait until I can open it again!" she huffed, crossing her arms and leaning against the glass. Zane shook his head.

"No, no. You're gonna follow me to Master."

"Who's Master?" if she was going to be stuck here for a while, she might as well get some information out of the damaged Nindroid.

"Don't you remember?"

"No!" she snapped. "I don't remember or know any of these things! I don't know your Master, and I'm definitely not Ayn!" she regretted the words almost as soon as they spilled out of her mouth. Zane's face fell, his frazzled appearance making him look almost pathetic.

"You...you have to remember. You're Ayn. I've been looking for you for years...Master's been looking for you for years..." he looked up at her, a tearful expression in his eyes. He shut them tight, although no tears fell. "What are we supposed to do if you don't remember?"

Nya rested her head back on the mirror, hating herself for being so easily swayed. None of the guys would ever give in so easily! But there was something about Zane's words, something about this strange world that intrigued her.

"Why don't you jog my memory?" she said softly, turning to look at the crestfallen robot. "Start from who this Master is, and who Ayn is."

Zane visibly brightened, and decided that plopping down on the dusty ground was the best way to start the story. Nya hesitantly lowered herself too. It wasn't like her dress could get any more damaged, judging from the damp and wrinkled look of it in her reflection. The silk was absolutely ruined...Misako would kill her.

"Master is the most brilliant tinkerer in all of the East Kingdom! He didn't use to be, there was one brighter and more talented than he was, but the Dark Ones got to him long ago...Anyways, Master works for the Queen, who desperately needs you! Master created me to help search for you. That is my one and only purpose. Now that I've found you, I'm going to bring you back to Master, so that you can save the East Kingdom and redeem the West!" he smiled wide again, the exposed electronics sparking dangerously.

Nya could only stare at the happy Nindroid. Queen? Save a kingdom? Was he _nuts_? She licked her lips and tried to find a way to let him down easily. There was no way she was the savior of an entire kingdom. The most she had done was create an exosuit to help out the ninja. When it came to giant final battles...she didn't exactly do very well. In fact, she sucked.

"Look...Zane..."

"Why do you call me that?" he interrupted, looking at her with confused eyes. She sighed.

"It's your name."

"No," he shook his head, "It's Enaz."

"What?"

"Enaz. That's what Master named me." he smiled, pulling down his collar to show glowing blue letters above his collarbone. E.N.A.Z. The Z flickered, the light fading and stopping occasionally.

Oh no. This wasn't Zane. Zane didn't have glowing letters on his skin. Now that she thought about it, Zane didn't speak like this "Enaz" did either. Her heart began to speed in her chest. If this wasn't Zane, then maybe he was being serious. But why did he look so much like Zane? What exactly did that mirror do?

"E-Enaz?" she whispered, feeling her heart beat accelerate. Wait a minute... Enaz...Zane. Was this world...a version of their own? "I'm not the person you want. I think I'm..."

"No, you are her. You look exactly like her. Have the same voice-" he froze. His eyes glowed an unearthly blue, signaling that he was seeing what his falcon was. "Ayn...we should run."

"What?"

"We have to run! NOW!" he jumped to his feet, his cold hand clamping onto hers and yanking her up. He began to bolt through the trees, running at a pace that Nya couldn't keep up with.

"Wait! Enaz! I need to go back!" she cried, feeling the sharp branches catch on her dress and scratch against her skin.

"You can't go back! The Dark Ones are coming!" he dodged the dark shells of trees expertly, jumping over blackened roots like he had run this route everyday. Nya struggled to catch up, her black heels making it difficult to run. Her foot caught on a root, sending her sprawling on the ground. Enaz stopped, staring down at her with fear. Nya tried catching her breath as Enaz pulled her to her feet, instantly clamping a hand over her mouth. His eyes were glowing again.

Nya could only wait as her heart pounded in her ears. The Dark Ones. What could they possibly be? They didn't have anything like them back in her world. Enaz's eyes flickered back to their normal state and he silently nodded towards his left. She quietly followed him to a thicket of rose bushes. There was a hollow in it big enough for a person. Enaz gently nudged her in before following, cradling her against his chest protectively. The strong scent of the roses hit her in a wave, overwhelming her senses. The only thing she could hear was her panicked breathing.

Then came the footsteps. Enaz's grip tightened around her, and she could hear the erratic pounding of his heart under her hands. He was afriad. What _were _these things?! The steps came closer, sounding louder with every passing second. What would they look like? Would they find her? Would they _kill_ her? She shuddered, images of every possible things they could do to her flashing in her head.

A black boot slammed in front of the thicket, scaring a gasp out of her that Enaz quickly muffled with his hand. He glared at her, mouthing a clear 'Don't make a sound'.

"I cannot find them, your Excellence." a monotone voice murmured. "No, the door was eradicated. I personally took care of it." a pause. "No, I do not know who came through. Sir-...I apologize. Yes. We will return immediately." the boot shifted, turning towards them.

Enaz's hand tightened over her mouth, hurting her jaw. His eyes turned blue again, his jaw stiffening. The boots began to step towards the hollow.

"His Majesty demands our immediate presence!" Another monotonous voice called out, his deep tone echoing through the trees. The boots stopped, turned, and followed the other voice. Nya let out a breath she didn't know she had been holding. Enaz however, remained stiff, his eyes stayed blue. After what seemed like an eternity, he relaxed and his eyes flickered back to their normal icy gray. His hand slipped from her face and he sighed.

"That was too close." he murmured. Nya nodded, and tried to shift in place. Enaz chuckled and helped her out, keeping a tight grip on her hand. It was obvious he didn't want her to leave.

"What are the Dark Ones, exactly?" she asked, feeling a shiver travel down her spine. Those voices were detached, emotionless. Enaz began walking through the woods again, pulling on her hand to lead her along.

"They were once citizens of the West." he began, eyes switching from gray to blue. "The King of the West used his power to steal their minds. They were consumed by darkness, and their bodies are now empty husks. Nothing inside but the will of the King." He stopped, turning a bit, and continued walking. He obviously knew where he was going. "They rely mostly on their smell and hearing. Their sight is mostly rubbish since they were turned. Roses usually hide us, since their scent is so strong."

"Oh" she whispered. "And...they destroyed the mirror?"

"Yes."

Her heart sank. "So I can't go back?"

"Yes. The duchesses should be able to create a new door, but we have to get you to Master first. Besides, you're supposed to save us." He looked at her, smiling a mile wide. "You're supposed to fix everything."

Nya felt like she couldn't breathe. Save them? Fix everything? By the explanation Enaz gave her, this wasn't going to be an easy mission. Oh no, this involved entire kingdoms full of zombiefied people and a dark king. How did anyone expect her to do anything? She was a helper, not a fighter. She didn't go on the front lines, she gave support from back. She was an extra, a foot soldier. The Alfred to people's Batman.

So how was she supposed to do this, exactly?

The duo continued to walk. They walked and walked and walked for what seemed like hours. Unfortunately, Nya couldn't see the sun, so she couldn't be too sure. Her feet were sore though, and the silence from her nindroid companion was maddening.

"Enaz?" she asked, tugging on his hand, "Just how far is your Master?"

He paused, and Nya took the opportunity to remove her shoes. They were /killing/ her. "Not much farther now. We're actually right on the borders of the East Kingdom. At this moment we're in No-man's land." He cocked his head to the side, staring at Nya as she tiredly rubbed at her feet. In one fluid movement, he had picked her up and put her on his back, as if she was a small child. She gratefully rested her head on his shoulder as her heels hung from her fingers. "There used to be a forest here, dotted with large, salty lakes." he became strangely somber. "It was supposed to be beautiful..."

Nya's heart ached for this poor robot. He was created for nothing but finding her. According to what he had said, that meant that he was created only after the West went "dark". She wondered how it felt like, to never have known the supposedly harmonious world.

"Well, this is the border." he stopped, staring at a line of shrubs. They were dark, and mostly bare, but still more lively than the woods they had just trekked through. "We might find _them_ as soon as we cross it." he sighed, shoulders slumping.

"Who are they?"

Another sigh. "Some of the Queen's guards. They used to be the Prince, but after a particularly bad accident during a battle with the West...things became tricky."

"Wait, they used to be one person? How can one person turn into two?" she straightened against his back and he laughed.

"You'll find stranger things here." He then passed through the shrubs as if they weren't even there. Just like the hedge back at the gardens. Enaz stopped again, as if waiting for something.

"I don't think-"

"WHO DARES CROSS THE BORDER?!"

"Oh no," he groaned, "They're here."

**So, how do you like the new chapter? Be sure to guess who "They" are! I love to read your opinions :)**


End file.
